How do you know if your solar panel is working?

I had this question with my new cameras, because I thought one wasn’t charging, and noticed that each camera will show you differently that it’s connected.

Spotlight Cam - will actually state under “Solar Status” - “Connected”

Stick Up Cam - will NOT state connected under “Solar Status” but will show the battery is charging on the battery symbol on the cameras main page by showing the lightning bolt symbol in it.

It would be nice if a firmware update was done for the Stick Up Cam so that it stated “Connected” under the “Solar Status” section of the app.

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Hey neighbors! Thank you for working with each other in this thread to resolve your concern with your device not registering the solar panel as connected in the app. We did have this bug in the app before where it would ask you to add a solar panel to extend your battery life, which has seen been resolved. At this time, if your app is not showing the solar panel as connected under your device’s Device Health page, you will want to ensure the device is connected properly. I recommend detaching the solar panel from your Ring device and then attaching it back, while also ensuring that there is no dust and debris on the solar panel and at the connection.

After checking the connection, if you find that it is still not showing as connected in the Device Health section, please try resetting your Ring camera by pressing and holding the setup button for 20 seconds. After this reset, re-establish the connection your device has in your Ring app by tapping on Reconnect or Change Wifi Network under Device Health. This will take you through another setup of the device in the Ring app. Once completed, check the Device Health again to see if the solar panel is showing as connected.

In the event you may not see the solar panel connected still, please give our support team a call at one of the numbers available here. If you are outside of the US, please go here to see how to contact support.

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I was wondering if there is updated info on this for 2020? I read the message board from 2019 and didnt look like there was a way to check if the solar panel is working on not.

THanks in advance.

It should show up now. If you go to your device list and then check device health, it now shows when there is a solar panel connected. If it doesn’t show, you may need to update your device. Mine are showing up now.

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Oddly, it did appear for me a while ago, but now it doesn’t…it displays the message “Extend your battery life with a ring solar charger” again. :frowning:

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Weird. Just checked. Mine are still showing connected.

My panel had stopped working , so I tried all of Chelsea_Ring’s recommendations, but still not working. Then I examined the wiring more closely and noticed that a critter had chewed right through the cable from the panel to the camera! Suspect either a crow or a squirrel. They were crafty enough to remain behind the camera, so they didn’t get caught on camera :smiley:

Anyway, spliced the two wires in the cable together, soldered them, taped each individual wire carefully with electrical tape, and then around the whole cable, and now it’s working fine again.

Since installing my solar panel In my back yard, every time I go to device health it shows the battery is at 100%
Best thing ever made!
Now if I could just get my problem resolved with my front cam I’ll be good

My solar panel status has still not updated. It continues to say " connect a solar panel". Everything is up to date, I’ve called customer service numerous times, and no one can answer why the app does not correctly display the status. Chelsea_ring r response has not solved my issue yet! Very annoyed at ring right now.

Update: WIth the Device Health noting I am running the latest firmware, I see “Connected” now for the Solar Status. This is inline with what was noted in a June posting my a Ring staffer earlier in this thread.

So…right now, it is working as expected.

@Chelsea_ring I think you missed the point. It is NOT apparent the solar charger is extending the battery life and/or functional as expected. How can one tell as the battery % continues to drop? As mentioned in another post, a charging indicator would be useful here.

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Firstly, for some strange reason the instructions accompanying the Solar Panel do not mention this but, for solar panels generally if you live north of the equator (northern hemisphere) you MUST ensure that (1) the Solar Panel is fixed to a SOUTH facing wall and only if that’s not possible should you opt for an East or West facing wall (under no circumstances should it be placed on North facing wall) and (2) secondly the Solar Panel should be tilted upwards towards the sky at an approximately 30 to 40 degree angle.

The sun always rises in the east and sets in the west. In the UK, we are in the northern hemisphere. This means that the sun is above the equator and therefore your solar panels will be most effective if they are south facing. Panels facing south will face the sun all day long

These fitting guidelines are VITAL for less sunny climates like the northern states of the USA and the British Isles.

So those of you who are not experiencing much charge from your Solar Panel, it may well be that your Panel is not situated in an optimal location.

In addition to that advice, hopefully this video (in the link below) will help users choose the best Ring Solar Panel depending on your needs and give you some idea as to how much charge you should expect from the Solar Panel if optimally installed:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xmx7_Stwojs

sources:

https://www.geogreenpower.com/blog/a-guide-for-where-to-place-your-solar-panels/

and

https://greenbusinesswatch.co.uk/do-solar-panels-have-to-face-south

Regards

Paul

I JUST bought a brand new battery because the last one seemed to fry within a few weeks.

I charged it to 100%, plugged it into the solar panel, switched the setting to hardwired.

Less than 24 hrs later, go to look at the Ring and there’s an error that the battery is dangerously low.

WTH is happening! This solar panel is useless!! And we spent $120 on all this just to have issues.

Honestly this whole saga is draining the life out of me never mind the doorbell!

Why is it so difficult is what I don’t understand?! Plug in a solar, doorbell charges. Sounds simple right??

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Would absolutely love some type of charge % notification for these solar panels. With their smaller size I really need to know if my placement is assisting with a charge or not. New owner at a location with lots of trees. Please get these accessories supported with readouts soon thanks!

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And me, tried everything under the sun to get my Stick Up Cam Gen 2 to recognise Solar but to no avail. Software problem???

I see in this thread that it would say “Connected” in device health. I jave a soloar panel connected to my Spotlight Cam and it saus “Established” not “Connected.” Is that the same thing?

The funny thing is I purposely disconnected the solar panel from the Spotlight Cam and the Device Health status still shows “Established” and has been that way for the past half hour or so.

Re: How do you know if your solar panel is working?

Not quite as simple as that! My app no longer shows the battery percentage now the solar device is connected!!

Solar panel not charging ring spotlight cam! Never get pass 15%. When I first got it kept it charge not won’t get pass 15% say i need buy a panel. Plenty of sun